Category: Home Decor

Art is hard. People who make art look easy are basically magical. SugarCharmShop has amazing videos of her making things look amazing using the magic that his her hands and talent.
In the video below you get to watch her make a zombie better than you’ll see in 80% of the zombie movies on Netflix right now. If this little dude was on my night stand there would never be any chilling in my house. … Well, after a while you’d probably get use to it like a cat. Cats are creepy at first but that’s neither here nor there.

So, I have successfully moved house. I now live in a place that with only a small amount of work can become a reasonable fortress. I can even extend said fortressing to the whole neighbourhood. Awesome, I’m done.
But I started thinking about stuff. As suggested by my last few posts, I have a metric fuck-ton of STUFF. This isn’t even including the practical STUFF that most humans tend to collect over their life-time. I just have… STUFF. Random stuff. Pointless stuff. Stuff that apparently, I cared about enough to fill my house with. I’m a collector. In a chest, I found some schoolwork from when I was seven. Seven! In another box I found stones. Actual stones, because apparently I like to pick up interesting stones and then keep them forever and ever. I understand keeping the whale bone, but did I really need sixteen seperate stones with holes in? I know they’re supposed to be useful for seeing through fairy glamours, but even I think a fairy apocalypse is unlikely. Ah well, this is all silly. Of course I’m not going to get rid of them.
This packrat tendency made moving house horrible, but it will make becoming a nomadic family post-apocalypse FUCKING IMPOSSIBLE. I will have no way of transporting seven van loads of crap through the badger-infested wastes and I know from experience that my hoarding tendencies get worse under stress or when I have any kind of excuse. “Oh, I can’t get rid of these six bags of pen lids, we might need the plastic!”
Now, I’m a big believer in being able to turn ANY personality flaw or psychological abnormality into a plus point in a post-apocalyptic world, but even I’m struggling with this one. Sure, collecting things is a part of the human psyche and presumably exists for a good evolutionary reason, but I honestly have no idea how a drive to collect rubber ducks will help me. All I can hope is that the apocalypse is a cosy catastrophe, allowing me to stay in my own home, with my stuff. Perhaps I can throw some of the heavier things at raiders. And the soft toys might keep me warm at night.
And on a plus side, I can always use those 20-odd boxes of books to restart society along the lines of my personal tastes.

Chris and Jane, of Chris and Jane’s Place, are the creators of a line of Zombie Gnomes.

One if my least favorite things about being a grown up is being restrained by boring grown up decorations for the house and home. Chris and Jane of Chris and Jane’s Place are working to change that with their line of Zombie Gnomes.
The Zombie Gnomes come painted or blank for a fun craft project. How fun would that be!? Sitting at home during with candles on, chatting about survival plans, maybe playing Munchkin Zombies, and personalizing an undead lawn ornament. Perfect.
I had the chance to ask Chris and Jane some questions about them and their business which includes not only Zombie Gnomes but also fancy, hand decorated top hats; Survival Gnomes, and more.

Learn More about Chris and Jane and their Zombie Gnomes:

1. Who are you, I mean, really?

Our names are Chris Stever and Jane Marie DeRosa and we are recently engaged. Jane grew up in an very artistic family. Both of her parents are Disney animators and so she was always surrounded by all medias of art. Jane then went to collage and studied Theatre. Where she developed more of her painting shills and her story telling abilities. Chris has always been an artistic and creative individual as a child he had several note books filled with designs and schematics for new inventions. He started sculpting when he was in High School and then started taking classes in practical effects for films and theater

2. What is it that you do?

We make Zombie Gnomes along with prosthetics and other special practical effects. Recently Jane loves playing Skyrim every night after work. Chris enjoys playing basketball and going on to espn.com to chat on NBA trade forums. One thing we love doing together is watching Game of Thrones we are halfway through season two. We also like finding new recipes and cooking together, but we haven’t had a lot of time to do that lately because Zombie Gnomes have taken over our lives.

3. When did you first realize you wanted to do that thing?

One day Chris was contemplating the inevitable zombie out break and his plan to survive it when he wondered what would happen if the fantasy world was affected by the zombie virus. Zombie garden gnomes was ultimately the conclusion to those thoughts, and after telling Jane we decided to make one for laughs. At first we just made Zombie Gnomes as a joke for our friends but when we put them up on etsy and we started selling them we realized we really had something.

4. Where are you from (and how do you feel about that place?)?

We are from sunny southern California and we love it here :). We wouldn’t have it any other way.

5. Why would you make a good apocalypse party member?

We would be good members of an apocalypse because we know how to grow our own food and we both know, between the two of us, 5 different styles of martial arts.

A good post-apocalyptic wife will need to have safety in the forefront of her mind in all situations– even decorating.
Decorating is a great excuse for employing idle hands and filling empty walls. In the past I’ve created Space Invaders and Transformers inspired wall art, science fiction coasters, and video game themed shot glasses. This week though, I went with something even more practical: Decorative Safety Signage.
Husband is used to my projects and is really just happy when they’re finished and off the coffee table. So, when he saw me start on this project he merely nodded with approval at its simplicity and scowled at the spray paint. Apparently, some humans find toxic fumes irritating…
Another thing humans find irritating: Fire. Because of this, every home should be equipped with an easy to find fire extinguisher. Every adult in your home should also read and understand the usage directions for your fire extinguisher; not all extinguishers can be used on all fire types. But once you have the right fire extinguisher for your room is its helpful, directional signage going to clash with the rest of your hard decorating work?
Not if you make the sign yourself. (Also, the sign could go anywhere and just be a decorative misdirection.)
If you’re interested in making similar safety signage for your home, follow the tutorial below. Continue reading “Decorating With Safety (Tutorial)”